1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a wear member for use between a pair of relatively movable components of a railway vehicle.
2. Prior Art Statement
It is known in the railway industry to provide a wear member between relatively movable components of a railway vehicle wherein such wear member is supported by one of the components and protects such components against excessive wear. In order to provide such a wear member which has optimum structural integrity and a wear surface which has the desired antifriction properties, wear members have been proposed which use an ultra high molecular weight (UHMW) polymeric material, such as polyethylene, for the desired antifriction properties and a metallic supporting material supporting the polymeric throughout its area for structural strength. However, it is well known in the art that it is very difficult to bond UHMW polymeric material directly against metallic material whereby various techniques have been proposed for attaching these two components and basically all of these techniques employ additional attaching means or components in the form of additional mechanical components and/or additional attaching materials interposed between the UHMW polymeric material and the metallic material.
For example, it has been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,238,039 to provide additional attaching means between polymeric material and a metal support of a railway vehicle wear member in the form of a metal structure fixed to the metal support for the purpose of attaching the two components together.
It has also been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,554,618 to provide a wear member in the form of pedestal liner which has an insert or plastic wear plate which is unsupported except at its peripheral edges.
It has also been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,264,015 to provide a wear member which has a main body made of a polymeric material which is basically unsupported in the central part thereof and has a reinforcing structure embedded therein and which has parts of the polymeric material disposed in embracing relation around opposed side edge surface portions of support means for the main body.
However, it would be desirable to provide a wear member for relatively movable components of a railway vehicle comprised basically of UHMW polymeric material which has its entire area supported by a metallic supporting material and it would be desirable to provide such wear member at minimum cost while using the overall structural advantages and characteristic of these two materials.